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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: pop · swing · mate · wake · cue · hide · key · march

  1. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  20. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. Have you found your soul ________________?

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. key — the most important part
  3. swing — to play on
  4. pop — music
  5. march — the month
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. swing — music
  8. mate — a friend
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. key — for a lock
  11. march — the month
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. key — in music
  14. pop — soda
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. mate — to breed
  17. cue — a hint
  18. pop — to visit
  19. cue — a signal
  20. swing — in golf
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. cue — for pool
  23. wake — a trail
  24. mate — a partner

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com